upward reaction shall raise the craft, and thus diminish head-resistance at very high speeds.

Comparing the curve of resistance with that of boats of the usual form, it is found that it does not differ, in any great degree, at ordinary low speeds; but at sixteen kilometres and upward (about ten miles) the resistance is less, and at twenty-seven kilometres (sixteen and three-fourths miles) the resistance is but about one-half that of the common form of vessel. The Pictet boat was tested beside the fast yacht of Madame Rothschild, the Gitana, and was found to be slightly inferior at low speeds, but decidedly superior at the higher speeds.

The new vessel is of a little more than twenty-five tons' displacement. It would seem that the proposed form would be of less importance for large vessels, in which the resistance is in larger proportion frictional, and less in head-resistance, and that the advantages of the Pictet form are to be realized principally in small yachts and in torpedo vessels. The boat and its performance are described in La Nature, and reproduced in the Sc. Amer. supplement, May 19, 1883.

- At the meeting of the Biological society of Washington, May 25, the following papers were read: Dr. Thomas Taylor, on Actinomykosis, a new infectious disease of man and the lower animals, with exhibition of a portion of the diseased viscera of a dog, containing specimens of the fungus Actinomyces; Dr. D. E. Salmon, remarks on Actinomykosis; Prof. C. V. Riley, remarks on curious Psyllidae and certain gall-making species.

-Mr. Lester F. Ward has made a preliminary study of an interesting collection of fossil plants brought to the U. S. geological survey in 1882, by Dr. C. A. White, from the Laramie beds of the lower Yellowstone River. No less than thirty-four species are identified with those already described and figured, including many of those from Fort Union, described by Dr. Newberry, and a number from other localities in the west. A few, however, belong to species that have not heretofore been found within the territory of the United States (arctic or European). In addition to these, there was found a large number of forms which could not be identified, some of which are of peculiar interest. As Mr. Ward expects to visit these beds during the present season, and hopes to obtain more and better material, no descriptions of new species will be published until further study of these forms can be made.

-Ten years ago the magnificent private collections of Dr. Gustav Klemm, whom all anthropologists love to honor, were sold by his heirs to the city of Leipzig for the Museum für völkerkunde. If we mistake not, Dr. Klemm was the first to announce distinctly the oneness of all human art and industry as a unique subject of study, dividing human occupations, implements, processes, and productions into genera and species, and aiming to find in each class

the cause of its origin, as well as the law of its evolution. Each year since the transfer, a report of the progress of the museum has been published, the tenth number of which has just come to hand. The affairs of the institution are managed by a board of trustees, who rely upon subscriptions mainly to pay the current expenses.

-The explorers whom the French geographic society has recently adjudged worthy of its gold medals are: Commandant Gallieni, for his expedition to the upper Niger and Segu two years ago; Commandant Derrien, leader of a topographic party in Senegal at the same date; M. Charles Huber, for travels in Arabia during the past three years; Lieut. F. Schwatka, for his arctic voyage to King William's Land; and M. Langlois, for maps of the department of Oran, Algeria.

At the meeting of the Engineers' club of Philadelphia, May 5, Mr. T. M. Cleemann was enabled to show, through the courtesy of Mr. W. W. Evans of New York, a map and profile of the Southern Pacific railroad in California, where it crosses the dried-up bed of a lake, being below the surface of the Pacific Ocean for 58 miles, and attaining a depth below said surface of 266 feet. At this point it skirts a deposit of salt from six to twenty-four inches in thickness. He also showed a number of photographs of the Tehachapi Pass, on the same railroad, near San Fernando. In order to attain the summit with a sufficiently reduced grade, the line was 'developed,' advantage being taken of a conical hill to wind about it in the form of a helix, crossing itself, and continuing on its way with several meanderings. The St. Gothard railroad has several such helices, but they are cut in the solid rock. A similar location was made, about eighteen years ago, on the Southern Pennsylvania railroad, but it was not built. Another piece of interesting location was also exhibited; namely, the mountain division of the Western North Carolina railroad, which shows great skill in fitting a line to the country. Mr. George S. Strong described a new method of manufacture of corrugated boilertubes. Mr. E. F. Loiseau gave a sketch of the progress and condition of the manufacture of artificial fuels. Mr. R. H. Sanders described a derrick used for hoisting material from a slate quarry by means of cable and bucket; and Mr. T. M. Cleemann noted a similar method pursued in the construction of a viaduct in Peru, 252 feet high, when the pieces were conveyed by a traveller to the pier. Mr. C. G. Darrach continued his remarks with regard to the relative quality of water at the top and bottom of deep reservoirs, and discussed methods of meeting the difficulty encountered in the accumulation of impurities below the surface..

-C. F. Holder contributes to the June number of Lippincott's magazine an excellent article on Animals extinct within human memory. The greater portion

of the paper relates to birds, - the great auk, the dodo, and the giant birds of New Zealand; but the mammoth and Steller's manatee are specially mentioned among mammals.

- The Royal geographical society has lately awarded medals to Sir J. D. Hooker for his services in scientific and botanical geography, extending over many years, and based on voyages to the Antarctic and Australian seas, to India and the Himalaya, and travels in Morocco and the United States; and to E. C. Baber, of the British legation at Peking, for his reports and maps of journeys into the interior of China. Money-grants were voted to Abbé Petitot for his researches to the north of Great Slave Lake, to W. D. Cowan for his surveys in central Madagascar, and to F. C. Selous for his journeys in the Zambesi basin.

Beddome, R. H. Handbook to the ferns of British India, Ceylon, and the Malay Peninsula. London, Thacker, 1883. 500 p., 300 illustr. 8°.

Bove, G. Patagonia, Terre del Fuoco, Mari Australi. Rapporto della spedizione da lui capitanata al Comitato centrale per le esplorazione antartiche. Part i. Genoa, R. Istituto, 1883. 150 p. 8°.

Brown, J. C. The forests of England, and the management of them in by-gone times. Edinburgh, 1883. 268 p. 8°.

Busley, C. Die schiffsmaschine, ihre construction, wirkungsweise u. bedienung. Abtheil. i. Kiel, 1883. 240 p. 8. Chalon, J. Les premiers âges de la terre et de l'homme fossile. Bruxelles, 1883. 105 p., illustr. 12°. Clerk, Ch. Études de géologie militaire. çaises. Paris, 1883. illustr. 8°.

Les Alpes fran

Fischer, E. L. Ueber das princip der organisation u. die pflanzenseele. Mainz, 1883. 153 p. 8°.

Garrod, A. E. The nebulac: a fragment of astronomical history. London, Parker, 1883. 44 p. 8°.

Gaudry, A. Les enchaînements du monde animal dans les temps géologiques fossiles primaires. Paris, Savy, 1883. 323 p., 285 illustr. 8°.

Gisevius, P. Beiträge z. methode d. bestimmung d. spec. gewichts v. mineralien u. d. mechan. trennung von mineralgemengen. Bonn, 1883. 81 p. 8°. Walks in the regions of

Goodwin (bishop of Carlisle).

science and faith. London, Murray, 1883. 304 p. 8°. Guillemin, A. Le monde physique. Paris, Hachette, 1883. 3 vols. 32+874; 4+670; 1011 p., illustr. 8°.

Haussknecht, O. Lehrbuch der chemie u. chemischen technologie. Hamburg, 1883. 484 p., illustr. 8°.

Hirsch. Rapport sur les machines et les appareils de la mécanique générale à l'Exposition universelle internationale de 1878 à Paris. Paris, 1883. 609 p. 8°.

Hollefreund, K. Die gesetze der lichtbewegung in doppelt brechenden medien nach der Lommel'schen reibungstheorie. Halle, 1883. 4°.

Houba, M. J. H. Over de strooming van vloeistoffen door buizen. Nijmegen, 1883. 104 p. 8°.

Hoyer, A. G. E. Planten-album. Ter bevordering van de kennis der algemeen in Nederland groeiende planten. Tiel, 1883. 95 p. 4°.

Kolbe, H. Kurzes lehrbuch der organischen chemie. Braunschweig, 1883. 509-864 p. illustr. 8°.

Lanier, L. Choix de lectures de géographie, accompagnées de résumés, d'analyses et de notes explicatives. Paris, Belin, 1883. 8+656 p. 12.

Le Paige, M. C. Essai de géométrie supérieure du 3e ordre. Bruxelles, 1883. 132 p. 8°.

Lindner, M. Die elektricität im dienste v. gewerbe u. industrie. Leipzig, 1883. 4°.

Maurer, M. Statique graphique. Paris, 1883. illustr. 8°. Melde, F. Akustik. Fundamentalerscheinungen u. gesetze einfach tönender körper. Leipzig, 1883. 364 p. illustr. 8°. Naville, E. La physique moderne. Paris, 1883. 8°. Nysom, H. Hydrografisk kart over det sydlige Norge udarbeidet ved kanalkontoret. Christiania, 1882. 8°.

Ormerod, E. A. Report of observations of injurious insects during the year 1882; with methods of prevention and remedy, and special report on wireworm. London, Simpkin, 1883. 98 p. 8°.

Pattison, S. R., and Friedrich, Dr. The age and origin of man geologically considered. London, Religious tract society, 1883. 53 p. 12°.

Paulucci, M. Note malacologiche sulla fauna terrestre e fluviale dell'Isola di Sardegna. Siena, 1882. 247 p. 8°.

Pellet, H., and Seugier, G. La fabrication du sucre. T.i.: Historique; les principes sucrés; saccharimétrie chimique et physique; analyse des sols; les terres à betteraves. Paris, Pellet, 1883. 390 p., illustr. 8°.

Rieth. Volumetrische analyse. Hamburg, 1883. 8°.

Saarbrucker steinkohlen-district. Flötzkarte. Mit pro

filkarte. Aubeldruck, Saarbrücken, 1883. fo.

Salterain, Pedro. Breve reseña de la minería de la isla de Cuba. Habana, La Publicidad, 1883. 24 p. 8°.

Schaedler, C. Die technologie der fette u. oele des thierund pflanzenreichs. Berlin, 1883. illustr. 8°.

Schwartze, Th. Telephon, mikrophon u. radiophon. Wien, 1883. illustr. 240 p. 8°.

Sicard, G. Histoire naturelle des champignons comestibles et vénéneux. Préface par A. Chatin. Paris, 1883. illustr. 8°. Songaylo, E. Traité de géométrie descriptive. Paris, 1882. 6+440 p., illustr. 4°.

Tissandier, G. Le problème de la direction des aérostats. Paris, 1883. 8°.

Travaux publics de la France. Publié sous les auspices du ministère des travaux publics, et sous la dir. de L. Reynaud. Paris, 1883. illustr. f°.

Tribolet, M. de. La géologie, son objet, son développement, sa méthode, ses applications. Conférence académique. Neuchâtel, 1883. 49 p. 8°.

Ullrich, V. Die horizontale gestalt u. beschaffenheit Europas u. Nordamerikas. Beitrag zur morphologie beider erdenräume. Leipzig, 1883. 8°.

Urban, J. Monographie der familie der Turneraceen. Berlin, 1883. 152 p., illustr. 8°.

Witz, A. Histoire des moteurs à gaz. Paris, 1883. 8.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1883.

THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA.

THE Royal Society of Canada held its second annual meeting in the Parliament house at Ottawa on May 22-25, under the presidency of Dr. J. W. Dawson. This society was organized, as our readers may know, a year since, under the auspices of the governor-general of Canada, the Marquess of Lorne, and includes four academies or sections, each with twenty members and a sectional president or chairman. These sections are as follows: I. French literature, history, etc.; II. English literature, history, etc.; III. Mathematical, physical, and chemical sciences; IV. Geological and biological sciences. Their presiding officers for the past year were respectively, J. M. Lemoine, Daniel Wilson, T. Sterry Hunt, and A. R. C. Selwyn; the general officers of the society being, J. W. Dawson, president; P. J. O. Chauveau, vice-president; J. G. Bourinot, honorary secretary; and J. R. Grant, honorary treasurer.

There was a good attendance, about twothirds of the members being present, besides which were numerous delegates from various local literary and scientific societies throughout the Dominion. These, by the rules of the Royal society, are entitled to appoint each year a delegate to attend the annual meeting, and present a report of their work and progress. In addition to these, various foreign societies were invited to send delegates; in response to which, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt had been charged to represent the National academy of sciences, and Professor Alpheus Hyatt came in behalf of the American academy of Boston. The Institut of France had appointed Mr. Xavier Marmier, of the Academie française, their delegate; and the French government had offered to send him at the expense of the state, but sudden illness prevented his presence.

After organizing in general session on Tuesday, the society at once divided into its four sections, and proceeded to the reading and discussion of papers, to which were devoted the first two days, with the exception of Wednesday morning. This was set apart for the pub

No. 20. 1883.

lic exercises of the whole society, which then assembled in the Senate chamber of the Parliament house, the Marquess of Lorne and the Princess Louise being present. The Marquess, to whose zeal for the advancement of letters and science the inception of the society is due, made an address of welcome, congratulating the society on the success which had attended its first year's work. He informed them that the Queen had been graciously pleased to accord to it the title of the Royal society of Canada ; that Parliament had granted it an act of incorporation, and, moreover, voted an annual sum of five thousand dollars for the publication of its proceedings and transactions.

After pointing out the examples of munificence shown in the encouragement of science by the federal and state governments of the United States, he gave much advice as to the future conduct of the new society, all of which was characterized by the eminent good sense and practical wisdom which distinguishes him. He urged the members of the society to sink all sectional differences and distinctions of province, creed, or race, and aim only at a higher standard of excellence in letters and in science.

Dr. J. W. Dawson then gave his address as president. After a review of the work already done in letters and science in the Dominion, he spoke of the desirableness of a great national museum at Ottawa, and then proceeded to speak in eloquent words of the mutual relations of letters and science. We take the following extract from a report in the Montreal gazette of principal Dawson's speech:

"In conclusion, he referred to the connection of science with literature. The two departments were in this society intimately associated, the literary sections being in some sense scientific as well. Science has a literature of its own, great and increasing, which competes with history and fiction for the popular eye and ear. Nature, rather than art, is the foundation of the best literature. It is on this, rather than on the graces of composition, or the tricks of style, or the flowers of imagination, that enduring literary fame must be built. This is especially the case in a country where history has been and will be marked out by its physical features and resources, and where our real poetry is that of our great rivers

and vast lakes, our boundless plains, our forest solitudes and changeful climate. These are unwritten poems, which have impressed themselves on the minds of our people more than any thing man has yet said or done; and he who most truly interprets them will build up the most lasting fame. For this reason he rejoiced that the society embraced both literature and science; and he was profoundly convinced, that it was for the highest interest of Canada, that, while its scientific men should be men of culture, its literary men should be men of scientific knowledge and scientific habits of thought."

Dr. Chauveau, the vice-president, followed in a brief discourse in French on the progress of both French and English letters in Canada, after which Mr. Louis Frechette, the wellknown poet and laureate of the French Academy, recited with much grace and feeling a poem on The discovery of the Mississippi.

On Thursday, the Queen's birthday, the morning was given to a business-meeting of the society, after which the members and delegates were entertained at lunch by the governor-general at Rideau Hall, and were subsequently received by the princess at a garden party. Friday morning was devoted to receiving reports, the election of officers, and other business. In sections I. and III., Messrs. Louis Frechette and J. B. Cherriman were chosen chairmen in place of J. M. Lemoine and T. Sterry Hunt. Dr. Dawson, the president, having declined re-election, Dr. P. J. O. Chauveau, the vice-president, was elected in his place as president of the society, and Dr. T. Sterry Hunt as vice-president, for the ensuing year.

It would be foreign to our purpose to give an account of the communications on literary and historical subjects which were presented to the first and second sections of the society during the meeting. One of these, however, which, on account of its especial interest to the society at large, was by request read in general session, deserves notice. This was a paper by Dr. Alpheus Todd, librarian of Parliament, on the relation of the new royal society, and of similar societies, to the state, and was replete with valuable information and suggestions. He sketched the history of the Royal society of arts of Jamaica, which is there doing an important work, and then gave an account of the Royal society of New South

Wales, a colony which has already made great advances in all matters relating to intellectual progress. That country, we were informed, now numbers about a hundred literary and scientific societies, or one to every one hundred and fifty adult males of the population.' A government astronomical observatory, a geological survey, a botanic garden, a gallery of fine arts, and a free public library, the latter under the direction of the minister of public instruction, are among the evidences of the enlightened educational policy of this colony; and to crown the whole we have the Royal society of New South Wales, which aspires to lead the scientific movement of the country, and to give aid and direction to all its various scientific and literary institutions.

Dr. Todd then proceeded to review the history of the Royal society of London with especial reference to its present importaut position in relation to the state. This body, which has, moreover, considerable revenue of its own, has now for more than a third of a century received from the imperial government an annual grant of one thousand pounds, to be employed in aid of scientific research at the discretion of the president and council of the society, - an amount which, since 1876, has been augmented to from four to five thousand pounds annually, without counting special grants for astronomical and other investigations conducted under the auspices of the Royal society. To it was intrusted the organization of the Challenger expedition. The Weather bureau, moreover, with its annual expenditure of fifteen thousand pounds, originally under the Board of trade, is now conducted by a commission appointed by the crown on the nomination of the president and council of the Royal society. This disposition of the British government to place the scientific work of the nation under the control of its Royal society is an example already imitated by New South Wales, and one which will, it is hoped, be followed by the government of the New Dominion. Dr. Todd did not allude to the National academy of sciences of the United States, one object in the creation of which was the establishment of a body to serve as scientific aids and councillors to the federal government, a function which they have efficiently discharged on many occasions with vast advantage to the state. The United States Congress has, however, thus far in its relations to the National academy, failed to imitate the wise generosity of the British parliament, or even that of the Dominion parliament to its newly formed Royal society.

Among the papers in section III. may be mentioned one by Professor McGregor of Halifax, on the variation of the polarization of electrodes with their difference of potential; one by Professor Dupuis of Kingston, on the construction of a sidereal clock to show mean time; and one by Capt. Deville of Ottawa, on the measurement of terrestrial distances by astronomical observations, in which he proposes to employ the difference of azimuths instead of the difference of latitudes. Mr. Baillargé of Quebec contributed papers on some problems in hydrographic surveying, and on suggestions for a new edition of Euclid.

Dr. Harrington of Montreal gave a description, with analyses, of two rare minerals now found for the first time in Canada,-meneghinnite and tennantite; and Dr. Ellis of Toronto described telluric gold-ores found on Lake Superior, exhibiting tellurium extracted therefrom; he also gave an analysis of a remarkable sulphur-water found near Port Stanley, Ontario, and described certain applications of Löwenthal's method for the determination of tannin. This was followed by an account, by Mr. Thomas Macfarlane of Montreal, of certain unexpected reactions attending the decomposition of sodium sulphate by carbon.

In the second day's session, Mr. Sandford Fleming discussed the question of a universal meridian for the regulation of time; after which, reports were presented of the observations made, at various points throughout the dominion, of the late transit of Venus, successful observations being reported from Cobourg, Ottawa, Kingston, and Winnipeg.

Professor Haanel of Cobourg described at length his ingenious mode of blowpipe-testing by means of hydriodic acid, and subsequently, in an evening session, gave experimental demonstrations of its application. His process depends upon the conversion of the various metals into volatile iodides, which are condensed on plates of plaster of Paris, and, by their different colors and subsequent behavior, are found to afford ready means of identifying and distinguishing, at a single operation in many cases, several elements in a mineral compound. Mr. Gisborne read a paper giving an account of recent progress in telegraphy, and Mr. Macfarlane described some interesting phenomena of double decomposition presented in the reaction between sodium chloride and zinc sulphate. This was followed by a paper by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt on the mechanical transfer of matter in the process of segregation, as shown in mineral masses, a phenomenon which, in the discussion following, was shown by Mr.

Thomas Macfarlane to be well illustrated in the concentration which occurs in the process of kernel-roasting of cupriferous pyrites.

In section IV., Dr. Selwyn of the Geological survey of Canada read a paper on some features in the geology of Lake Superior, most of the points of which have lately been discussed by himself and others in the pages of SCIENCE. At a subsequent meeting a discussion of this paper took place, Messrs. Bell, Macfarlane, Sterry Hunt, and J. W. Dawson taking part therein, and contesting many of the views of the author. Principal Dawson presented a paper on spores and spore-cases from the Erian rocks, of which an abstract will be found in our weekly summary, under Botany. A detailed study of the distribution of the subdivisions of the carboniferous rocks in the maritime provinces was communicated by Mr. E. Gilpin, jun. ; and Dr. G. M. Dawson described the triassic rocks of the western parts of the dominion. Dr. Robert Bell gave an account of the soils of the Canadian north-west territory, an abstract of which appears farther on, under Physical geography. An interesting discussion followed the reading of this paper, in which Professor Macoun and Dr. J. W. Dawson took part. Dr. T. Sterry Hunt made a communication entitled 'Studies of serpentine rocks,' in which, after sketching the history of opinions for the past century as to the origin and geognostical relations of serpentine, he proceeded to describe the modes of its occurrence in various parts of Europe and North America, particularly noting the serpentines of Pennsylvania and those of the vicinity of New-York City, including Staten Island. He also presented a memoir on the question of the Taconic system in geology. Prof. L. W. Bailey gave an interesting account of Indian remains found in the province of New Brunswick.

The foregoing list of papers presented to the scientific sections of the society is unavoidably incomplete and imperfect, communications having been made, among others, by Prof. E. J. Chapman of Toronto, and Dr. J. R. Grant and Professor Macoun of Ottawa; to which should be added a paper by Mr. G. F. Matthew of St. John, N.B., in continuation of his studies on the trilobitic fauna of the Cambrian rocks of that locality, with numerous figures. It is understood that the various memoirs presented to the society, both at this meeting and at its first organization a year since, will soon be published in the form of transactions, in quarto, with suitable illustrations, making what we trust will be the first of a long series of Transactions of the Royal society of Canada.